Governance and Global Affairs

Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism

The Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CTC) of Leiden University – Faculty Campus The Hague – was established on 1 February 2007. Initially it primarily focused on research into terrorism, counterterrorism, political activism and radicalisation. Taking on board new developments in the field of security and crisis management, today the CTC focuses on a broader range of topics: from cyber security and ‘cyber terrorism’, to threat and crisis communication and crisis and security management. With this wide approach, the CTC aims to contribute to a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach of the phenomenon of (counter)terrorism and new security issues. This wider domain of security issues is reflected in the The Leiden Safety and Security Blog -- http://leidensafetyandsecurityblog.nl.

Since the 9/11 attacks, combating terrorism has ranked high on the political agenda. This phenomenon is not new, but constantly in flux. Think of the use of social media, changing modus operandi, et cetera. The same goes for the attempts to counter terrorism and the impact it has on societies. Research into aspects of terrorism and counterterrorism has been conducted at several universities in the Netherlands , but mostly from a single discipline, such as political science, criminology or history. With a team of researchers from many different academic backgrounds, the CTC offers an interdisciplinary approach. Furthermore, research at the CTC is primarily policy-oriented and aims to provide an academic view on terrorism and counterterrorism to the different government services and institutes in the field of CT. Finally, the CTC plays a role in the public debate on (counter)terrorism and new security threats.

The CTC is an initiative by the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) and Leiden University – Faculty Campus The Hague.

The CTC offers students the opportunity to do an internship during spring and autumn. The spring period is from January to May, and the autumn period is from October to December. The content of the internship will depend on the current projects and the student’s research focus. To be eligible for an internship position with our Centre you will still have to be a student and an internship is part of your course curriculum.
Internship requests can be submitted up to four weeks before the start of the intended internship. Please send a letter of motivation and a CV to the following address: